Which approach best represents a limitation of discontinuous measurement?

A limitation of discontinuous measurement is that it may fail to capture the full extent of a behavior. Discontinuous measurement methods, such as momentary time sampling or partial interval recording, only provide information on whether a behavior occurred during specific intervals rather than capturing every instance of the behavior. This means that important occurrences of the behavior may be missed, leading to an underrepresentation of the true behavior frequency or intensity. Consequently, it can result in incomplete data regarding behavior patterns, making it less reliable for certain types of analyses.

In contrast, recording every instance of behavior, as indicated in one of the other choices, is a characteristic of continuous measurement, which is not a limitation but a strength in terms of capturing the full scope of behavior. The other options relating to measuring frequency and duration or measuring behavior in real-time further indicate the strengths of different measurement strategies rather than their limitations. Thus, understanding the limitations of discontinuous measurement is crucial for effective data collection and analysis in behavior analysis.